Who am I?

My name is Sergio Rodriguez, I have been a New Haven resident for 20 years. I worked with the program Fighting Back in the mid-90's to help eradicate the streets of drugs and crime in New Haven. I have been the Alderman in the 26th ward since 2003. My wife and I started a non-profit called R-Kids Inc where we help reunite kids in foster care with their biological parents, we have fostered over 50 children in the last 10 years and we have adopted 2 of them. I have been a board member with the National League of Cities for 4 years, I was elected President of the Hispanic Elected Officials for 2 years.

Why am I running?

I was inspired to run for this office because I feel that the City Clerk's office needs a new direction for too long it has been the best kept secret in New Haven. My vision for the office is to make it a position that engages the community and works with the other branches of government to get the community more involved. I see this position as more of a public advocacy position than a position that just signs the documents from the Board of Alderman. I see it as a position that can educate our students about civic responsibility and civic involvement.

My Goals

My two top goals for my first year in office will be:

1.) To be out in the community hearing from the people about issues going on in there neighborhoods. Then bringing these issues back to the Mayor or the Board of Alderman and get these issues resolved for my constituents.

2.) To go into every High School and educate the students on Civic responsibility and how they can get involved in the process of voting. If we increase civic participation everyone wins because their voices will be heard.

My DFA Values

Community: My campaign will embody the value of Community by engaging the community during my term. I plan on holding office hours on a weekly basis to hear the concerns of the community and if they are getting represented, if they are not I will be the voice to advocate for them.

Security: As the City Clerk I will be the person who will fight for the communities that are struggling with violence, I will advocate for more police walking beats in the area to make those residents feel safe in their communities, no one should feel unsafe in their neighborhood.

Liberty: In terms of Liberty in my case, I look it as how I can increase civic participation in the city of New Haven. I feel I can do that by educating the High School students specifically Seniors on why it's important to vote and how they register to vote. Holding voting drives in the more transient areas of the city where there is a lot population turnover, and lastly making sure the disabled and elderly know how to get absentee ballots.

My Campaign is People Powered!

The first way my campaign is people powered is that we only have one staffer on my campaign and that is my Campaign Manager. The nature of the office makes it difficult to field a full campaign staff.

The second way my campaign is people powered is that all voter contact will be done by volunteers who are committed to seeing true change in the City Clerks office, we feel these are the best advocates for my campaign people who truly believe in my vision for the position.

Voice support

About the Endorsement Process

The driving force behind all DFA endorsements is our members. We recognize that all politics is local and that what is considered progressive in Los Angeles may be very different from what's considered progressive in Louisville. For this reason, DFA does not have a litmus test of specific progressive positions for which a candidate must stand. Our endorsement is heavily weighted based on these questions:

• Will the candidate move the progressive movement forward in their community?
• Does the candidate have substantial support from our local members?
• Do the candidate's positions and policies fit into the broader progressive movement?
• Is the campaign people-powered and the candidate working to win?

If you have questions, or want to let us know about a candidate in your neighborhood, please call us at (802) 651-3200 or email us at [email protected] .